The National Bank of Ukraine has unveiled a plan to definitively withdraw 10-kopeck coins from cash circulation and strip them of their status as legal tender. The process is already underway: as of October 1, 2025, the regulator ceased minting these coins, though as of this writing, they remain in circulation and are actively used for transactions in the country's retail networks.
How the coins are already being phased out
Under current procedures, 10-kopeck coins that reach commercial banks are not returned to retail cash registers. Instead, banks transfer them to the National Bank for accounting and subsequent disposal. Thus, the volume of coins in public circulation has been gradually decreasing since the halt in minting, but the formal status of legal tender remains until a final decision is enacted.
Key dates and deadlines for business
The regulator proposes that effective February 1, 2027, 10-kopeck coins will cease to be legal tender. From that date, paying for goods, works, or services with these coins will be impossible. Clear timelines are set for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs: businesses will have exactly two weeks — until February 16, 2027, inclusive — to surrender their remaining 10-kopeck coins. After this deadline, coins held by businesses that failed to comply with the surrender obligation may be seized in accordance with legislation.
Rounding and exchange rules for citizens
Moving forward, all cash transactions in Ukraine will be rounded according to uniform rules to amounts divisible by 50 kopecks. For ordinary citizens, the NBU has provided the option to exchange old 10-kopeck coins for other coins and banknotes currently in circulation in amounts divisible by 50 kopecks. No commission will be charged for such exchanges. The exchange procedure will last three years and will consist of two stages, allowing citizens to dispose of accumulated small coins calmly and without haste.
Context: planned modernization of cash circulation
The withdrawal of 10-kopeck coins is part of a broader strategy by the National Bank to modernize cash circulation. In parallel, the regulator is gradually replacing old-style 50- and 200-hryvnia banknotes with modern bills. The NBU emphasizes that this is a planned update rather than a sudden withdrawal of any monetary signs. Separately, it is worth noting that Ukrainian citizens previously registered a petition calling for the return of 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-hryvnia paper banknotes alongside coins, though at present, this issue remains at the level of public initiatives.
